Improvement in plows



l UNITED STATES GEORGE VA'IT, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PLOWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 71,560, dated November .(5, 186?.

.To all zzz/51.0712, it 17m/y concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE VATT, of Richmond,Henrico county, Stateof Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Plows; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which the above invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The chief object of the present improvement is to so construct the cast frame as that it shall form a peculiar rounded neck or breast between thebeam and furrow-slice, to prevent the accumulation of weeds or trash and the consequent choking of the plow at that point.

The invention further consists in novel modes of applying and securing the moldboard and fastening the slide or landside-bar, in a novel mode of fastening the handles, and in the provision of a movable extension-plate to adapt the plow to work at more than the ordinary depth.

' Figure l is a plan of a plow illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the moldboard side of the plow. Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation of the plow. Fig. 4 'is a side elevation of the frame or casting hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is a front view of the same. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the mold-board, showing the fastening devices on the inner side thereof. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the slide or landsidebar. Fig. Sis a perspective view of the removable extension-piece hereinafter referred to. Figs. 9, 10, and 1l are perspective views of different forms of moldboards applicable to this plow.

Similar letters of reference indicate corref sponding parts in the several gures.

In the drawings, A represents the frame or casting, to which are secured the mold-board B, shank or point C, and landside-bar or slide D. 'The external exposed surface of said frame A forms the land-side proper, as shown in Fig. 3. 'Ihe opposite outer surface of said frame forms a bed, upon which the mold-board is fitted and secured, as shown in Fig. 2.

vOn the top of the frame A is formed th@I standard or projection A', to which the beam I is secured by means of the cuff or staple H and nuts h. rIhe forward and upward projecting edge of the moldboard and of the share C combine to form the cutter E. At e, Fig. 2, the cutter may be said to terminate, inasmuch as at that point the edges of the mold-board B and frame Abecome coincident, and thence they run back in parallelism, the one directly againstand above the other, as far as the rear terminus of that side of frame A. Ry this construction the iron front of the plow is made to present a continuous curved surface above the cutter, said surface flaring outward in conformity or agreement with the mold-board. The upper part of the frame A, being thus made to unite with the mold-board to form a continuous deflecting-surface on the one side, has the two sides of its upper portion joined by a short curve in front, and thus so much of the said frame A as extends above the point e serves to form a rounded neck or breast, a. This breast not only prevents the earth from falling backward over the top of the mold-board, but it prevents trash, weeds, Src., from clinging to the plow between the top e of the cutter and the beam I. The land side of frame A has a curvature, giving it an in- Ward inclination from the bottom to near its midheight; thence the land side has an out- Ward inclination, which increases toward the rear.

It will be seen from the context and by reference to Fig. 8 that, while the land side of the breast a has a comparatively slight departure from parallelism with the line of draft, the opposite or mold-board side of said breast stands at a considerable angle to said line; hence in operation the vegetation and trash which are caught upon the breast c are drawn or forced from theland side by the moldeboard side of said breast and cast off at the mold-board side of the plow, so as to be covered by the turned earth. Thus my improvement effectually prevents the choking, which constitutes a serious impediment in working other plows. The outward inclination of the land side of the breast a gives it a tendency to throw the earth toward the growing plants on that side, and therefore when used for cultivating the plow subserves the purpose of a hoe. The Obliquity or inward inclination from the bottom of the land side gives the plow a rm hold upon the ground,

ward end of the mold-board side of the frame A. Shoulders b on the mold-board may be employed to brace the share in the direction of its resistance.

J, Figs. l and 8, is a brace-rod, the ends of which are bent so as to form two reflexed hooks, j j, which respectively engage with staples j/ j on the inside of the mold-board and landside. b is a staple fixed rigidly to the forward end of the mold-board B, and passed through a slot, a', in the forward end of frame A, wherein said staple is held by a key, b2, Fig. 8.

To secure the mold-board upon its bed on the frame A, the brace-rod J is first hooked to the staples j j', and then the staple b is passed through the slot a and keyed. The brace-rod J and staple b, in conjunction with a Stud, b3, projecting from the mold-board into a corresponding hole, a2, in the mold-board side of frame A, serve to very firmly and securely connect the mold-board and frame together. The reflexed form of the hooks j j of the bracerod J renders their disengagement from the staples j j impossible when the mold-board is secured in position. This brace-rod is distinguishable from the common brace-rod, from the fact that, while one end of the latter is hooked or bent into a curve, the other end is bent at a right angle, and thus endangers its detachment. rI he forward end of the slide or landside-bar D is held by the insertion of its hook-shaped projection cl into the slot a3 of the frame A. The rear end of said slide or bar D is provided with a staple, d', which is passed into the vertical slot a* in the frame A, and held therein by a horizontal key, d2, which is adjustable in the notches a5 on the inner surface of the landside. Vhen the base of the slide D has worn away, the slide may be lowered, the key Z2 and notches co5 enabling the staple d to be held in any position to which it may be desired to adjust it in the slot a".

On account of the position of the staple d on the slide D, the bearings of the former are not subject to injurious friction with the earth. It should also be stated that the bottom of the frarneAis protected from such friction by the projection of the share and slide below its lower edges.

The above-described devices for fastening the slide D are cheap, simple, and durable.

Of the plow-handles, the beam-handle G is fastened to the landside by a bolt, g, and just above this bolt the handles are fastened together by a bolt, g. The handles are braced by a rod, K, extending from the beam. The

frame A is especially suited for use in connection with the various kinds of mold-boards commonly employed, whether made of cast or strength of the plow without making it inconveniently weighty. The removable extensionpiece F, Fig. 8, of wood or metal, bolted to the upper edge of the mold-board B and frame A, adapts the plow to turn or furrow wlth equal effect while working to a greater depth than usual, so that it may be changed from a two-horse to a three or four horse plow at will.

The mold-board shown in Fig. 10, when applied to the frame A, presents a much wider base than top. In operation this mold-board burrows up the earth and allows about twothirds of the earth to fall back in the furrow, while the remainder, rising along the line of the cutting-edge, is scattered over the surface beyond the furrow and smothers the grass, Snc. In the second operation this form of plow gives the crop a small quantity of earth, entirely covering the grass which grows around and between the plants. This form is also a subsoil-plow of the first magnitude, and this plow, with this form of mold-board, does the work of both plow and hoe in the cultivation of crops when young.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what l claim as new herein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A plow frame or casting, A, having a neck or breast, a, constructed substantiallyas herein described, and serving to prevent the accumulation of trash, &c., between the cutting-edge and the beam.

2. The brace-rod J, refleXed at both ends, as described, and employed in conjunction with the staples j b and key b2, to connect the frame A and mold-board B, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the slide or landside-bar D, of the hook-shaped projection d, staple d', key d2, and notches a, for adj ustably securing said slide to the frame A, as set forth. 4. The combination, with the frame or casting A, of the handles G G, when attached by the bolts g g', substantially as described.

5. The removable extension-piece F,applied substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEO. VATT.

W'itnesses:

C. M. PL'EAsANTs, R. W. Haw.v 

